Let's Get Personal

Arthur Ashe has said "Everything in this game is within." Why then, do most players have a tendency to evaluate a practice or a match in terms of outcome?

It is a natural tendency to assess our performance in outcome related measures such as score, how many shots were in or out or points lost; things which are not necessarily within our control. In any given match, you can not control the skill of your opponent. This means it is possible to play a very strong opponent, lose the match and still have played your very best. Conversely, you may win a match and not have played well if you are playing an opponent with less skills than you.

Try to get away from evaluating how the match went based on the score. Instead, think about what you want to achieve for yourself during the course of the match. The first step in developing a skill is to create an awareness of it. Start to make yourself aware of what your personal goals are and then begin practicing them using the following steps:

Once you’ve determined what type of player you are (baseline, all court, counter puncher, serve and volley) then determine what goal you want to be working on. For example, a baseliner might want to work on deep strong placement. A specific personal goal for a baseline player would then be to seek opportunities to move their opponent back and forth to bring them out of position. There are countless personal goals that you will continue to work on and achieve throughout the years that you play. It is important that you define the goal in a specific way so that it can be measured.

For instance, if you are working on being an aggressive serve and volleyer, a goal might be to plan to come in after every first serve, and after any short return. This can be measured and you can objectively determine if you have done it or not. Be sure to not create a goal that is based just on how you feel like it went.

After each point, access whether you had an opportunity to work on your personal goal, and if you did, assess (on a scale of 1-5), your effort.

After each practice session or match, evaluate your personal goal and commit to continue working on it.

Personal goals should be achievable, but not easy. Remember, anytime you walk on a court, you should know what your personal goal is for that day, and how you will determine if you were working on your goal or not.